Watching a Train Wreck
by just-beginning
Summary: You don't pick where you're born, who you're with, or who you care about; all you can do is your best. Holly didn't ask for her life - she doesn't even like it half the time - but she can't help who it's made her.  NOT related to Sweet Contradiction
1. Chapter 1

**Let me just say it again: THIS IS NOT RELATED TO "SWEET CONTRADICTION" in anyway, except that i'm the author. I know i talked about a sequel to that, which is still sort of in the works, but not enough for me to start posting it. I was kind of messing with this while writing sweet contradiciton, and was looking at it the other day and figured i might as well throw it out there. I'm not finished with it yet, but i know where it's going so i'll slowly be editing it...hopefully. As i was towards the end of my last fic, I'm really busy with school right now, so nothing is for sure =/**

**Anyway, if you're reading this and you did read my last fic (If you haven't, check it out =D), this is certainly a different sort of thing so far. I even have a 3rd death sentence fic kind of going that i started quite a while ago that i've considered posting parts of, too...idk why, but i've found a lot to work with when it comes to DS. **

**Anywho, if this chap goes over well I should have the 2nd up in pretty good time; this is really just an intro to a character and the story's situation =) **

**ENJOY! let me know what ya think =)**

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**Intro**  
_"It's gonna be a long, hard drag but we'll make it." __**-Janis Joplin  
_**_

Fucking disgusting.

Beer bottles and cans were scattered everywhere and trash consisting of food wrappers and chip bags were everywhere. Some plates were in the sink, likely from the pizza that had once been in the empty boxes still laying on the kitchen island…actually, it was surprising dishes had even been used at all. An ashtray was next to the boxes, holding discarded butts.

It was almost like her brother and his friends were children and incapable of cleaning up after themselves instead of twenty-something adults who should be competent.

Holly wanted very much to just leave everything where it was and make her twin clean it later, but she set to work cleaning anyway. First of all, her brother could probably live with the mess for quite a while. Plus, she knew it would only agitate her more the longer she had to look at all of it.

Geeze…sometimes she swore they weren't even related…

She cleaned up the kitchen first and then the living room, just tossing everything into a big garbage back. She didn't bother to keep it down, either, despite the sleeping body on the couch.

When she was finally almost finished, she glared at the coffee table.

"Tommy, wake up…get up," she ordered, slapping the back of his legs.

"Huh?" he jumped, pushing himself up on his arms. "Hol? What the hell?"

"Get your gun off my table," she requested firmly, gesturing to the weapon.

"You woke me up for that?" he grumbled, flopping back down.

"Yes I did, now get up. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Time's it?"

"Almost 11:00," she shrugged, careless of the overstatement.

"Fuuuuuck"

He groaned and hauled himself up and made a show of grabbing his gun and tucking it in the waist of his jeans.

"Take the garbage out on your way?" she requested sweetly, tying the bag.

"What am I, your maid?" he complained, pulling his boos back on.

"Excuse me?" Holly laughed. "I just cleaned up **your** guys' mess."

"Yeah, yeah; sorry 'bout that"

"No you're not," she rolled her eyes; if they were really sorry they wouldn't leave their messes everywhere so often that she was used to it.

Tommy just smirked and took the bag from her, checking his phone for message on the way to the door.

"Fuck. It's not even 10:00"

"Oops," Holly shrugged innocently.

"You're lucky I like you," Tommy grumbled, leaving in a huff.

"Young man, you should really recycle, not throw all of that away," an old lady informed him on his way to the stairs, seeing through the white bag.

He just grunted in response, grumpy about being awake at all to do the chore.

In the apartment, Holly was currently much happier and sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal, flicking channels between bites.

That's what she was doing when Baggy shuffled out of his room clad only in boxers. He took a look around the room and nodded approvingly.

"Thanks for cleaning"

"Someone had to," she shrugged.

"I wouldda helped"

Holly ignored the comment. Sure he might've helped but it would've been like pulling teeth.

She watched him trudge off to get food and he came back with a heaping bowl of cereal. He dropped into an armchair and she stopped the TV on the news, partially just to bug him. He didn't complain, though, just sat there in his state of half dress, tattoos on display. A tribal design snuck over his shoulders and onto his neck slightly, proudly boasting his gang affiliation. It had always been inevitable, she supposed; he'd been tight with most of the guys since at least high school - he hadn't graduated. They were the ones who'd dubbed him Baggy. She didn't know how it started but it stuck; no one called him Eric anymore, not even her unless she was really upset.

"Yo," he answered his phone smoothly. "Huh?…sure, man; be right there."

"You have to go?" Holly sighed.

"Mmmmhmmm," he managed to get out around a last huge mouthful of cereal.

He got up and hurried to his room to dress, jogging back out to grab his keys and go.

"Be careful"

"You ain't ma," he answered as usual.

And as usual she rolled her eyes.

No, she wasn't their late mother - wasn't any of the boys' moms - but to hell if she didn't feel like it sometimes. She reminded herself of Wendy in Peter Pan, who'd found herself surrogate mother to the Lost Boys. That was the role she found herself in; for most of them she was practically the only person who showed concern of even just gave two shits. Most of the guys either never had much of a family or were disowned due to their gang involvement, so Holly had long since felt like the guys made her and Baggy's apartment a regular hangout to get a family-feeling. They had family in each other, sure; they were brothers, no doubt about it, but brothers fought and showed tough love - their affection was loyalty, not compassion.

Holly both indulged and deeply resented the role. She really did care about the guys. She'd known them a long time and she wanted them to be okay; plus, they had her brother's back and she had to appreciate that. On the other hand, she disapproved of the gang; after all, the guys that watched Baggy's back were the reason his back needed watching in the first place. She didn't like what he did - what they all did - but he was her closest family and you love family anyway. She wished she didn't care about any of them, and sometimes that included Baggy because it certainly didn't make her life easier to constantly worry about him.

But she did care.

So she put up with cooking for them once in a while and cleaning up their adolescent messes when she couldn't guilt them into doing it themselves. And she'd worry about them and make sure they were okay even though they tried to not appreciate it. Even though it hurt sometimes, she couldn't help it; they'd become some weird kind of family to her, too, in a way. She'd probably resent it all her lire, but she did care.

She lounged around for a while, not bothering to change yet. She didn't have to work today and didn't have class until the evening. She couldn't afford to be any fulltime student but she'd taken up night classes recently once she had money saved up and a second job.

There was some obnoxious pounding on the door and she answered it almost moodily; that kind of knocking could only mean it was one of the guys.

"Oh, hey Joe," she smiled, widening the doorway for him.

"Aw, no one's here?" he sighed in disappointment; it was a legit surprise because if people weren't at Billy and Joe's across the street then chances were good they were here.

"Well I'm here, jerk," she laughed.

"You gonna make the visit extra-special, then, since we're all alone?' he propositioned saucily.

She just rose an eyebrow and he deflated with a laugh.

"You know I'm joking. What're we watching?"

He hopped onto the couch and she joined him happily. Joe was one of the guys who was easy to like…well "one of the guys." He wasn't official in the gang but practically was because of his brother. Holly wasn't alone knowing that some of Joe's tough act was just that - an act - but no one said anything. It's not like Joe ever had another option; between who his brother was and who his dad was, Joe never had a chance. How was he going to go anywhere else and do anything else with the heavy legacy of his name?

Poor Joe.

Not that he knew it. In his world respect came from fearlessness, and love/acceptance was earned by proving you were tough. That's all he knew, so putting on a brave face and getting shit done was just par for the course.

"Can you make breakfast…please?" he threw in for good measure.

"It's past breakfast time. Help yourself to food if you want it, though"

"Aw, I want pancakes or something…oh! French toast," he decided.

Holly laughed; sometimes it was hard to remember he was 21, hardly her junior by much; he came across 18-ish sometimes. He was a runt, that was for sure.

"Tell you what. After the next party, you come over and clean up the next morning; then I'll make you French Toast."

Joe mulled that over and nodded slowly where he was slouched into the cushions.

"Alright. Deal."

He stuck his hand out and they shook on it.

"I'm getting another tattoo tonight. Wanna come?"

"I have class…sorry. What're you getting?"

"That's a surprise"

"Fine, where's it gonna be?"

He pointed to his neck, gesturing to the general vicinity since he hadn't decided size yet.

"Ow"

"Says you…thought you said your ribs hurt?"

"They did," Holly nodded.

She had her brother's name scripted on her side - close to the heart…symbolism and all that. Not Baggy, their older brother. Dane Hendrick. He'd been involved on the streets, too, and died in a drive by back when she was still in high school. He'd been a good brother, despite what he did for money, always stepping in when their dad got drunk; he'd take her and Baggy (then still Eric) out to get them away from his yelling and bouts of anger when he'd throw things around. It was one of these times in Middle School when she and Baggy really realized what Dane did. He was still in high school at seventeen but was running drugs and carried a gun sometimes…Baggy had probably been destined for his current bath ever since then; he'd idolized Dane always. Holly missed him sorely….maybe that's why she had the urge to look after the guys - she didn't want them disappearing too.

"Then we're both masochists. When you gota get it touched up? We should get inked together."

"I dunno," she shrugged. "Wanna go to the gym?" she sighed.

"No," he scoffed.

"I think I want to run…."

"Fuck that. If you don't' have work, why're you even awake?"

"I dunno; why're you?" she challenged.

"I have work!" he defended quickly. "Not right now, though; in a bit."

They both knew he didn't do as much as the other guys. His brother rode him as hard when he **did** work, but he typically only ran errands or picked up slack of others. He was like a second string player for not and would remain so unitl his brother decided it was time for him to really join…to see some real playing time, so to speak.

"Well be careful when you do have to go work"

"Ugh, I get the same line from Billy! Christ, I'm not a kid," Joe snapped.

"Good; it just means he cares about you. Baggy gets it from me all the time."

Regardless, Joe sat and stewed over the whole idea with a sour expression.

Holly patted him on the knee and got up to go change so she'd actually feel functional.

She changed in her room and righted her hair in the mirror. In the corner of said mirror she'd tucked an old picture of her, her brothers, and her mom. She and Baggy were in grade school, Dane in Junior High. Her dad was behind the camera, which was just as well; he'd been detached and inactive in their lives from the start and that only go worse once heir mom died. The picture was a couple years before she got in a bad car accident and died in the hospital a few days after.

Holly spared the picture a glance and then turned away; sometimes she didn't like to dwell on her mother and wonder what she'd think had become of their family.

"Joe, we need to do something," Holly sighed, leaning over the couch to shake his shoulders.

"Ugh, like what?" he grumbled, apparently loathe to move.

"Anything…walk around, catch a movie…"

"…let's go see what's playing," he decided.

They footed it to the nearby theater, laughing and teasing playfully as they romped the sidewalks. The cinema wasn't as nice as the one in the city but it was easy to sneak into, which Joe wanted to do; he wasn't going to pay for a movie if he might get called to work.

They only had to wait about 40 minutes, so they loitered around and were contemplating getting popcorn when Joe's phone rang.

"Hey Billy"

_"Hey. Get your ass t' the office. Tommy's car's at our building; keys are by the sink."_

"Aiight. I just gotta walk Holly back and get the keys, but I'll be right over."

_"Walk Hol back? Where the hell is she?"_

"With me; we walked to the theatre cuz she was bored. No worries, I'm comin'."

_"Quick"_

"You got it…Hol, we gotta go," he told her after hanging up.

"I could tell…alright, let's go"

She didn't want to stay and see the movie alone so they hurried home; Joe was setting the pace and acting much less casual than earlier. He wanted to get to the office quick; Holly knew he didn't like disappointing Billy or any of the guys.

"Hey, Joe; be careful"

"Yes mother," he shot back at her.

"Be glad I'm not your mom; I'd slap some sense into you," she warned.

"You can teach me a lesson any day," Joe winked.

Holly openly laughed at the teasing attempt and waved to Joe as he slipped into his building to go up and get Tommy's keys and head out to the guys and work.

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**That's that. It's a pretty short chapter but it's a start**


	2. Reluctant Friends and Family

**Hey so here's chapter 2. Thanks for the feedback so far =) I'm glad you guys saw some promise here, so here's some more. Let me know what you think =)**

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**Reluctant Friends and Family**  
"_Only the gentle are ever really strong." __**-James Dean  
_**_

Relief and irritation. It was always how she felt when this happened. Relief to see her brother was alright and irritation that his stupid ass had been gone for three damn days.

Three days and she hadn't seen or heard from any of the jackasses, but now it was Saturday evening and a few of them just waltz into the diner, where she worked most weekends, like it was no big deal. It was a little late for the typical dinner time so it wasn't crowded and they easily all sat at a table.

They even sat in her section, just waiting for her to mosey on over but she glared in the general direction and turned away to ring up one of the orders at the register.

"I think they're waiting," Nicole, her tall, curly haired co-worker, informed her with a nod towards the booth the five men had taken over.

Nicole knew the score with Holly's brother and his friends; that both fascinated and repulsed her. She usually fell more on the repulsed side, except for the crush she had on Baggy, which she let show sometimes.

"I don't care," Holly sighed, sliding the bills into the drawer as the customer walked away.

"Well this is a restaurant; you gotta serve him and I'm sure not taking the table for you," she laughed.

"Some friend you are," Holly teased.

She straightened a few more things needlessly behind the counter and then grabbed five things of rolled silverware and five menus.

"Good luck," Nicole whispered with a playful wink and an encouraging smile.

Holly just shrugged and headed over to the table against the wall and sat the silverware down for them to pass around.

"Sup Hol?" Baggy smiled up at her, squeezing her arm lightly from where he sat at a chair pulled up at the end of the booth.

"You tell me," she shrugged.

"Aw, c'mon," he groaned.

"…you look tired," she observed as she pushed a hand through his scraggly hair. "Have you slept this whole time?…have any of you?" she asked, eyes darting around the table.

They all happily waved away her concern. Jame, who'd verbally declared that she was his surrogate sister - his real sister said she didn't want to see him again unless he wanted help off drugs and out of the gang - quickly assured her they'd all crashed for a few hours now and then.

"Just got some shit later tonight and we'll all be back to buggin' ya every day," he finished with a chuckle.

Holly laughed dryly without a smile. She didn't always get Jamie; he was one of the more intimidating looks guys and he didn't talk to her much. He was around a lot though, but always with the guys; she could count on one hand the times he'd stuck around when no one else was there. It was one of said time when he'd told her he liked to come over and make sure she was okay since he couldn't do so with his own sister; she was Baggy's sister and since he and Baggy were as good as brothers, apparently he saw her as legitimate family.

"Stop havin' a cow and give us the damn menus"

And then there was Billy.

He was sitting at the end of the booth and she looked over to him, annoyed, when he piped up. She found right away that his pupils were heavily dilated, which certainly wasn't the shock of the day.

"No reason to be difficult," she rolled her eyes at him, passing around the menus. "I'll be back in a few."

"Billy, man, take it easy for now huh? You know she's just worried we've been gone for fuckin' ever," Baggy sighed; his sister was nothing if not consistent.

Billy gave him a blank look and shifted his attention to the menu while trying to decide if he was even hungry.

Holly watched the table from just inside the kitchen, her eyes landing again on Billy. Just as she sometimes couldn't see how she and Baggy were related, it was sometimes unimaginable how Billy and Joe brothers. Not that she was ignorant to the fact that, yes, Joe did shady things - he helped make drugs, sold drugs, sometimes did drugs, had a gun, and ripped people off…still, he wasn't Billy. Joe was like a beagle to Billy's pit bull; Joe would bark a lot, run around your feet to bug you, and cause some mischief, but Billy would maul you if you weren't lucky.

Holly shook her head and grabbed a stack of coffee mugs and the pot before heading back over to the table.

"We didn't order that," Billy scowled at the mugs.

"I'm feeling nice so it's on the house," Holly answered obviously. "I'll take it you don't want some; anybody else?"

"Fuck that; I do so," Billy butted in, gesturing for her to fill up a cup.

So did the others so she filled each glass.

"What'd we do to earn it?" Baggy inquired.

"Jamie said you guys have something to do tonight, and you look dead," she reminded him, poking the dark hue under one of his eyes.

She would've made a comment about how they were running themselves into the ground so why not slow down because that would probably be more efficient, but this wasn't the place to get any of them riled up and defensive.

"Thanks, ma; can we order now?" Baggy teased lightly, brushing her hand away.

"Is everybody ready?"

They all grumbled noncommittally and scanned their eyes over the menus again. She didn't get it; the menus hadn't changed and the guys were in here at least once a week when she was working. Plus, they nearly always got the same thing, typically some version of a burger. Still, they liked to sit and mull over what food sounded good or looked good in the picture before ordering a derivative of the same basic thing.

Sometimes they were weird.

She waited patiently nonetheless, smoothing out the black apron that was over her khakis and fitted maroon t-shirt with _Marcie's_ scrawled on the chest of it. Only Joe looked ready and he waited for everyone else to decide, so she flashed him a smile. He grinned back and made an impatient face, which she had to look away from lest she laugh at the others' expense.

Her eyes stopped on Billy when she found that he was watching her, eyes narrowed up at her.

"What?"

"Nothin'…I'll take the double cheeseburger. With everything."

Once he'd ordered everyone else quickly hopped to it and ordered too as if this had given them all permission.

"Whattcha think, Hol…fries or onion rings," Joe tried to decide, tapping his menu as he got antsy.

"Just fuckin' order," Billy scoffed.

"I'd go onions rings," Holly offered.

"Okay… …actually, no. Fries."

Holly rolled her eyes but took Baggy's order and then went to put in their order and bring out their drinks.

"Can ya stay and sit for a while?" Baggy requested.

"I have other tables; maybe later"

"Alright, hurry back"

The boys behaved themselves during the meal more than they usually did, which Holly greatly appreciated. It hadn't taken her boss long to figure out that these rough new regulars were associated to her and he'd cornered her about tit to make sure there wasn't going to be any trouble. Luckily he believed her that she wouldn't be trouble, but she always got nervous when they guys got rowdy.

"Hey guys," Holly smiled, pulling over a chair to sit next to Baggy as she brushed a lock of hair back from her heated forehead; even though it was getting later and cooling off it was hot back in the kitchen where she'd been helping out.

"'ey!" Baggy grinned around a mouthful of food, slinging his arm around her shoulders to pull her in and kiss her cheek.

"Can I have some of this," she asked, mostly out of courtesy, as she grabbed french-fries off of his plate.

"So whattcha been up to while I been gone?" he asked, careless that she was stealing his food.

"You mean the whole three days? I've just been working and doing some school work. Nicole's been over quite a bit," she shrugged.

"Ugh, I missed her hot ass?" Baggy groaned ruefully, pleased with Holly's responding laugh.

"…are you okay?" she asked, watching him rub at her eyes.

"Don't start"

Holly turned to Billy to see his finger hovering in the air pointed in her direction. She frowned at the appendage.

"What? I'm not allowed to check on my brother? You do the same with Joe."

"Just don't start bitchin'," he warned, moving the finger closer to her face.

Holly still frowned but was generally unconcerned with the ambiguous warning. She eyed Billy curiously and moved his finger aside with one of her own.

"I wasn't bitching, I was asking"

He allowed her to get his hand out of her face but continued to eye her with narrowed eyes for another long moment before turning back to pick at his fries.

"Ignore it; he's high," Baggy muttered, as if she didn't know.

She rose a skeptical eyebrow at him, though; high Billy was actually often a little more pleasant than sober Billy.

"It's been a bad day - don't worry about it," he added when her eyes widened a little. "It's nothing."

"Hey, Hol…"

She turned to see Nicole nodding behind her to a couple that was getting seated in her area.

"Alright I have to go…I'll bring your checks soon; eat up."

"So you and that Nicole chick?" Bodie asked, nodding to the girl tending to the people who were sitting up on the stools at the counter.

"Aw, I dunno; she's my sister's friend…I think she's scared of me," Baggy chuckled.

"Do it, man," Joe encouraged; he'd seen that ass and those hips…

The guys all laughed a little and Baggy shrugged.

"Tell your sister to hurry up with those checks; we gotta get goin," Billy ordered, checking his watch.

"Yeah…hey, hey Hol," he stopped her, catching her elbow lightly. "When you drop of those drinks can you bring the checks now instead of later?"  
"Sure thing"

Holly did so, coming back in minutes to dole out the checks. The guys started digging in their pockets for their wallets right away so she stuck around to wait.

"Are you sure you're done?" Holly asked, nudging Billy's shoulder.

"Pretty fuckin' sure," he rolled his eyes.

"…you barely ate anything," she pointed out; most of the fries were missing but there were only maybe two bites out of the sandwich.

"What are you; the fuckin' food police?" he glared up at her.

"…are **you** okay?" she asked now.

"Look, do ya want your fuckin' tip or not?" he asked angrily, hands on his cash.

"Excuse me for being nice," she rolled her eyes, reaching past him to take Jamie's money, smiling when he told her to keep the change.

Billy scowled up at her and sniffed, running a finger under his nose as was his habit.

Baggy pinched the back of her knee and gave her a warning look, handing her his money, too. Billy was the last one to hand over his wadded up cash.

"Keep it," he muttered as he stood, forcing her a step back from the booth. "Up. Let's go."

Everybody hopped up with short goodbyes and Holly went back o the register while straightening out Billy's payment. After aggravating him, she decided she wouldn't be surprised if his "tip" was just some change rounded up to the nearest dollar. So she was surprised to actually find a pretty generous tip.

"Moody son of a bitch," she muttered, happily confused.

Thankfully, Baggy did indeed come back that night around midnight. He went straight to bed, though, and crashed until the next afternoon. He'd then been able to take the time to actually apologize for being gone so long; he knew it stressed her out. She was never sure if she completely believed him but she also knew he had an obligation to the gang….

She just reminded herself that he was back in one piece, so she didn't have to kill him. It didn't really happen too often anyway, Baggy going MIA and the whole gang practically falling off the face of the earth as far as she was concerned.  
She wouldn't say things went back to normal, because their lives weren't "normal" to most standards, but things went back to what they were supposed to be again. She was still at her cycle of her couple night classes and work, and the guys were back to coming and going whenever they pleased.

So she was completely unsurprised to find Baggy and Billy lounging on the couch when she got back from work. She waved quickly since she was on the phone, listening to her friend go on.

"Aw, look at my sister dressin' all classy. Kindda late, aren't ya?" Baggy asked.

Holly rolled her eyes; she was pretty sure he was born without the capability to develop common manners.

"One second Tash; I picked up part of a later shift for a coworker, Baggy," she explained, covering the phone; if she'd tried to ignore him he just would've asked again louder.

"Couldn't call?"

"…sorry about that, Natasha; it was nothing, but I think the pot just called the kettle black," she went back to the conversation with a pointed look to her brother.

She'd just gotten back from her other job; she worked at the front desk at a hotel in the city a few times a week. The work wasn't exactly exciting or complicated, but it paid better than her job at the diner. It was a large, upscale hotel and basically all she did was bookings, answer phones, helping guests with any questions about the hotel or the area, sometimes taking things to rooms, and other odd jobs. She liked it well enough, but no one there really knew where she was from. Her boss did but he was one of those equal opportunists; he was gruff but had given her a mini speech about how anyone could be anything no matter where they're from.

Great. She liked to picture him giving the same speech to Baggy and Billy.

She grinned into the phone as she thought of this and went to the refrigerator to grab a beer before going to her room.

"Woo-wee, must've been a rough day at that swanky hotel," Billy mocked, watching her walk by with the alcohol in hand.

She flipped him off and continued down the hall as she chatted with her friend. They were on the phone long enough that she wandered back to the kitchen to mix herself a drink and then back again. After she and Natasha hung up she sat down at her small desk to do some reading for her class but got through about two pages when she decided she wasn't going to try; she was going to drink and unwind tonight instead.

She returned to the living room expecting the same scene that had been there maybe twenty minutes ago, but only Billy was there leaning forward in his seat.

"Where's Baggy?"

"Out," he grunted.

She rolled her eyes at this; so he was typical Billy tonight.

She mixed herself another drink and turned back towards the other room. The kitchen was open to the living room so she could see in and she finally took a moment to process what she was seeing.

Billy was leaned forward so that he was hunched to the coffee table. The back of the armchair was blocking her view of what exactly was happening on the table, but from the soft tapping and the way he was concentrating on that instead of the TV she could guess.

"What're you doing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"The fuck's it look like?" he shot back.

Not that she could exactly see but she knew it was drugs; he was making lines….bumps, rails - whatever you want to call them.

Billy snorted; it was his preferred method of drug use. A lot of the guys shot up, but injection was too dicey to him; this was quick and just perfect for him. Baggy was of the same mind, too; Holly was always glad Baggy didn't like needles because something seemed more sinister about them to her and she didn't want Baggy having that around the house.

She moved into the living room, dully watching as Billy used the little razor blade to make sure the powder was fine and then expertly formed thin rows with it on the small square mirror.

"Ya wanna blow?" he asked, looking up at her and nodding down at his lines.

"What do you think?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Ya might change your mind someday," he shrugged.

"…and you're doing this here why?"

"Joe brought some broad over; I'm crashin here tonight," he told her, fingers dexterously rolling a bill.

He bent down further and inhaled sharply, one line quickly disappearing. Then another. He straightened and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before sniffing again and rubbing the end of his nose. He swallowed a few times and set down his things, sitting back in his seat.

"Here," she sighed, reaching to wipe remnants of the white powder from the edge of his nose as she walked past to take a seat.

He snatched her wrist quickly and slowly pulled it closer, licking the residue off of the pad of her thumb, sucking it lightly before letting it go.

She was surprised and not surprised at the same time; Billy did whatever he wanted and there was no point in questioning him most of the time.

She dropped onto the middle of the couch and eyed the mirror on the table. She longed to break it for helping her brother and his friends do drugs, but breaking mirrors was bad luck, right? So she didn't because there was enough bad luck going around and she didn't need to attract it.

She watched TV for a while and was thinking about another drink… she might need it, especially if Baggy was going to come back with any of the guys who had plans to do drugs, too. It confused her sometimes that the guys continued to do everything they did regardless of what went on. They all knew people who'd died after getting shot or stabbed, and knew people who'd overdosed and had to go to the hospital for it. Why continue with all the rough lifestyles? She knew enough people dangerously hooked on drugs who'd almost died…drugs scared her.

Not that all the guys were junkies; Heco was the closest to and Billy was always on his ass about it. They always maintained that they just did drugs recreationally….she supposed it was true, but it was a slippery slope as far as she was concerned. No one ever planned to be an addict.

Holly started slightly when something touched her side and she looked down to see it had been Billy running the back of his knuckle over her silk dress shirt; she was still dressed from work. He pinched the fabric between his fingers and rubbed it experimentally.

"…this is nice…"

She smiled and moved his hand away, relaxing back into the cushions. Billy did so as well, kicking his feet up on the table. Holly mirrored that and he nudged her bare feet lightly with his boot.

She twisted her head around to look up at him and, as she knew they would be, his pupils were dilated. The sharp blue of his eyes, always beautiful and yet unholy at the same time, was forced to the edges as he looked down at her. His face was more relaxed than usual; the tension from stress and anger eased as the drug took effect.

She looked away from the dazed eyes and back to the TV as he resumed nudging her foot. She was a little amused by it, but was mostly uninterested in his incessant tapping. She took the remote from his side of the couch and found something she wanted to watch rather than the MMA fighting he and Baggy had been watching. They loved that stuff, as if they didn't see enough violence and blood on the streets.

After a few minutes Billy pushed himself forward with a grunt and grabbed her glass from the table and stood, downing the rest of it before turning to stride over to the kitchen.

"You shouldn't be drinking that," she swatted his leg, thinking of it interacting with and increasing the toxicity of the drugs he'd taken.

"Shut up," he told her snappily, waving his hand though the air dismissively.

Holly huffed but let it go; he knew his body and what it could handle so whatever. She kept an eye on him as he made her another drink, mostly because she wasn't sure how much she trusted him to not load it up on far more liquor that needed to be in one drink. He proportioned it correctly, however, and she turned back to the TV again.

He deposited the glass in her hand and dropped onto the couch again, arm flopped over the back behind her. They were quiet for some time until she felt his arm shift. It grazed her shoulder, and this was of no real concern until he skimmed past her arm to her side. For a moment she wasn't concerned since he'd already found that he liked the fabric….but then he wasn't stopping; he was stroking her.

His hand was cupped around her waist, rubbing up her side sensually. Holly just watched his hand for a moment before darting to look him in the face. He watched his hand on her and slowly drug his eyes up to hers when he felt her gaze. Billy bit his lower lip and let his hand settle on her waist, slipping a little further around her to her lower back.

"Billy…?'

He grinned and leaned towards her, his nose brushing her cheek bone lightly as he turned his face to get at her lips.

"Billy, stop," she murmured.

"Mmm…ya don't want that…"

He pulled his hand forward so there was more room between her back and the couch, allowing him to caress her back.

Holly's heart raced for a moment but took a deep breath to steady herself and lean away from him. She glanced at his face again now that it was a few inches away and his face was screwed up slightly until he met her eye. "C'mon," he urged, twisting his body in towards her. "I feel good…let me make you feel good, too."

She turned her head away when he ducked his head to her but he simply diverted to her neck. He kissed her jaw and sucked at her pulse before licking his way down her throat with his tickling facial hair paving the way.

Holly's mind was racing. His mouth was doing all the right things in all the right places and she forgot for a moment that she wanted him to stop. After all, it wasn't as if they'd never hooked up before.

It was no big deal, really. She wasn't naïve enough to that it was ever going to lead to a relationship; hell, she didn't even **want** it to be a relationship even if she thought Billy was capable of one. She wasn't looking to wrestle a gang member into settling down - when it came time to settle down for her it was going to be separate from this world. Billy was….Billy. Every now and then things would just come together; events would play out and they had sex - great sex. Holly wasn't typically the one night stand type, but when it came to him she was alright with going their separate ways in the morning. She didn't even feel bad about it because with Billy there was no point in having shame; he didn't, so why should she. They didn't think less of each other; they just had a good time and left it at that.

"Don't," she decided, ignoring her rapid pulse to pull away from him enough that his lips just missed.

He exhaled deeply and straightened to rest his forehead on the side of her head. His breath danced down her cheek for a moment before he removed himself from her and sat back once again. Holly shifted uncomfortably and pulled her legs up to her chest, perhaps to block herself from him.

She ran a hand through her thick, sandy blonde hair and thought through her choice, perhaps regretting it. They could be making out right now, heading to her bedroom soon… …. it just didn't feel okay right now. Sometimes it surprised her that it was ever okay; she didn't like him half of the time, after all, but she was ultimately welcoming when it came to him in her bed. It was always great, for starters, and he was a surprisingly attentive lover…as interested in her getting off as he was in his own pleasure

It didn't escape her, of course, that Billy **was **the one night stand kind of guy and therefore had many. She didn't worry though because after their first hook up, which she had been pretty drunk for, she'd learned he got tested fairly often and, as he'd put it "wasn't fucking brainless enough to hit it with a tramp without wrapping it."

She watched him. He frowned at the wall for a few moments before relaxing again, but there was something going on in his eyes. Glossy, they darted and weren't focused on anything.

"Are you okay?" she checked, reaching out to run a finger over his cheek.

She couldn't help it; she showed affection physically, with quick hugs or small touches. She was pretty sure she got it from hanging out guys all the time. They didn't go around touching each other softly, of course, but a nudge or playful jab showed how close they were, how comfortable they were with each other. Casual touches were her adaptation of the same principle.

He batted her hand away.

"I'm fuckin' fine…you could make it better, though," he amended, slipping his hand over her knee.

"Not tonight"

"Cuz I took some drugs? It's the fuckin' drugs," he shook his head, irritated.

"No, it's not that….just, not tonight"

He rolled his eyes but nodded slowly, continuing to rub her knee.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong; shut up," he ordered.

She rolled her eyes then, too, and let it go. If he didn't want to tell her, then fine; she'd long since gotten over pushing it with him.

Billy was most resistant to having someone care, unlike Joe who leapt at it. Of all the guys, she was quickest to call Joe a legitimate friend; this was just another way he differed from his brother. She and Billy had their moments where they got on well, but usually he deeply frustrated her and she irritated him in the way that any friend's pesky sister would. The times they **were **on the same wave length were usually spent quietly because he didn't like to talk much lest things get too "touchy-feely." He didn't like letting her care, not in that way. This was why his hand lingering on her knee was further evidence he wasn't "fucking fine" today…he wouldn't talk with her but he'd let them be close.

His phone beeped loudly after a while and he flipped it open to check the message.

"Wanna go down to the _Roses_? The guys are there; Baggy too"

Holly mulled the idea over and nodded; she didn't have to be at the diner until the afternoon tomorrow.

"Just let me change quick"

He rolled his eyes.

"Hurry the fuck up or I'm leavin' ya"

She didn't take the threat seriously but she hurried anyway, trading the dress pants for jeans and her nice blouse for a fitted black t-shirt. No jacket was necessary as they made their way out of the apartment; it was still warm for this part of fall.

"How are you even wearing your coat?" she asked, nearing his car.

"If ya wanted me to take my clothes off, ya shouldda said something sooner," he smirked.

She ignored him.

They drove to the bar without talking and found most of the usual guys there when they got to the table. Billy was quiet all night, but Holly decided to forget about her worry for him from earlier; he was a big boy. He wasn't necessarily great at coping but he'd muddle through; they all did.

Instead she spent most of her time up at the bar chatting with one of that bartenders and Kendra, a barmaid. Holly had worked there at The Four Roses before she got the diner job. She didn't even have to apply; with her brother and his connections she'd just been hired on the spot. It wasn't a bad job when Baggy and the guys were there, but she'd gotten far too sick of the comments and the men who tried to play grab-ass when the security of her brother was missing. She'd promptly found another job.

"Do me a favor and see if they need anything? I'm swamped," Kendra sighed; she was off her break now and the bar was busy tonight.

"No problem," Holly agreed happily, trooping back to the table. "What can I get you guys?"

"What's this; got your old job back?" Baggy chuckled.

"I'm just giving Kendra a hand," she smiled, flicking his ear. "So?"

They quickly asked for more beers and wanted whiskey sent back, so she fetched it for him.

"Baggy, bro…your sister has one of the sweetest asses I've ever seen," Tommy sighed, watching her go to the bar.

Baggy punched his arm lightly but otherwise ignored it; Tommy was drunk and he was harmless anyway.

"Good with her mouth, too…" Billy muttered, watching her closely as well.

Baggy slammed his fist on the table and pointed a hard finger at Billy. Unlike Tommy, Billy **was** a threat. He trusted that Holly was safe with Billy physically, but beyond that there was no telling what Billy would do…break her heart, piss her off beyond redemption…something. Who knew. Baggy trusted Billy with her life, not her sex…or heart, it if came to that - he highly doubted it.

Billy just nodded blandly. He knew that comment had been a little far. Baggy knew he and Holly fooled around sometimes and didn't' say anything, but it **was** his sister…there was some kind of universal rule about not mentioning a girl's sexual skills to her brother.

Holly returned shortly, oblivious to the comments that had been tossed around about her.

She had a beer with them and enjoyed the company….one of them and yet outside of them at the same time.


	3. Propositions

****

_Sorry for the delay, but i'm finally on Spring Break so I FINALLY have time to give more time and effort to writing =) So Enjoy =)_

* * *

Propositions_  
No one is free; even the birds are chained by the sky." __**-Bob Dylan  
_**_

The Saturday afternoon lunch rush was finally wearing thin, and Holly couldn't have been any more thankful. She'd been working hard on a paper for one of her classes lately so she'd pulled a couple late nights to finish it…and now a long shift. She'd been there since opening…only a few more hours.

"Billy, are you going to order anything?" she asked, stopping at the corner booth again where he sat reading a paper.

He'd been there for over an hour in her section and still hadn't asked for anything. She appreciated having one less table to tend do, but she didn't want her boss to notice and get upset with her for his loitering.

"Nah"

"Then what're you dong here?" she tilted her head at him.

"…I think its time for you to take a break," he decided, folding the paper.

"No it's not, I-"

"It's time for you to go on break," he repeated.

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked around before dropping to sit across from him.

"Is Baggy okay?" was her first reaction to all of this.

"What? Yeah, he's okay….ya don't think I'd have said somethin' if he wasn't," Billy rolled his eyes.

"Then what's going on?"

"If you'd shut up a minute I'd tell ya," he muttered.

He paused a moment but she didn't interrupt further.

"I got a proposition for ya…" he told her, lighting up a cigarette.

"…I'm sure I don't want to know," she sighed, folding her arms in front of her uncomfortably.

"I got some…_associates_ who are lookin' to score more of my _merchandise_. They're good fuckin' customers but I got a problem - they're startin' to get nervous comin' to pick up product…"

"So they're paranoid tweakers; so what?"

"Nah, they're suits," he told her, leaning forward to rest his arms on the edge of the table, studying her face.

"…suits…"

"Yeah, business men…stockbrokers and insurance hotshots; that sort of shit. They don't like comin' to my end of the sewer but I don't want to lose their business. Had to do some fancy thinking' and, lucky me, I've got you…"

"You've _got_ me?" she rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I've got you around, don't I?" he rolled his eyes. "And ya work at that ritzy hotel…" he added, waiting for her to catch on.

"…tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying," she shook her head.

"Won't look shady if they're at a nice place, talking to a clean girl like you," Billy smirked.

"No way; I can't deal from my work," she spat.

"I ain't asking you to dole it out from the front desk. But you have reasons to be wandering the halls, stopping in on rooms…It'll be easy; no one will ever know."

"**I'll** know," she insisted.

"They aren't kids slumming on the streets who don't know any better," he tried to reason. "They're making a choice; they're reaching out and going **way** outta there way just to get it…they know what they're doin'."

Natalie thought that over but still shook her head.

"I can't do that, Billy…"

"I don't wanna lose their business, Hol. You'll get a descent cut, no doubt," he continued to persuade her; he'd known it wasn't going to be a quick agreement.

"No"

"Aw, c'mon, like ya couldn't use some quick extra cash - I know ya could," he goaded. "Use it for class…you could cut back hours and have more time to study…"

"Cut it out, Billy…I can't. It's too risky, I'd get fired so fast…"

"No one would ever know; I'd smooth out every detail. I'd know they're room number, make sure they called down at a certain time so you'd have an excuse to run up to the room…it'll be easy business."

"Billy…." Holly shifted, starting to feel antsy.

"It'll be safe - I wouldn't fucking ask ya to go deal to thugs on the corner. These guys have reps to protect, that's the whole point," he insisted.

"No"

"Just think about it"

She rolled her eyes and shoved out of the booth to finish the last hour of her shift. To her surprise Billy stuck around, claiming he'd told Baggy he'd give her a ride home. She appreciated it but also knew it was just more of a chance for him to nag her.

"So what's the problem?" he asked, turning the radio off completely.

Sure enough, they weren't even around the first corner and he was grilling her on the topic.

"I just don't want to deal drugs, Billy - does that honestly shock you?"

"…no. But you're just the drop of guy - girl - not an actual dealer."

"Same thing," she muttered, staring out the window.

Billy dropped her off quietly. He had seemed displeased, although not altogether as though he'd been particularly surprised. Holly knew she hadn't heard the end of it, though; billy would bring it up with new ways to try to convince her - that's just the way he was.

She knew that and it bothered her.

So it was against her will that she was thinking about his offer for the next couple days. She wondered if he knew she'd be debating it…if he knew her that well to know she'd take his words seriously.

She'd meant what she'd said about not wanting to get mixed up with the drugs and the gang's business. However, she _could_ use the money…she'd be able to cut back hours at the diner and have more time for her homework. She wasn't sure if that was valid, though; after all, she typically got all of her work done…it would just be convenient. Also, part of her was starting to think this all might make things easier on Baggy. He hadn't disappeared for days again, but she could tell he'd been stressed. Sure these guys at the hotel were just a couple guys, but maybe it would help….

But she didn't want to be a drug dealer. The fact that Billy only considered her a "middle man" to pass things along did little to comfort her…

But maybe it did just enough.

* * *

Joe and Billy only lived kitty-corner from Holly and Baggy, and Holly made her way across the street in the blackness of night. Though it was late, she knew Billy was home. She'd gone to The Four Roses for a drink with the guys and Joe had told her that Billy stayed home because he had a fight with Bones and was too fed up to go out for a good time.

There was no lock on the outside door so she let herself into the building and went up to the second floor to the apartment the Darley brothers shared. She knocked and waited and then knocked again.

The door clicked open to reveal Billy standing there shirtless with one arm through the sleeve of his white t-shirt as if he were in the process of pulling it on. He seemed to relax when he saw her and shrugged the shirt on leisurely.

"Baggy ain't here. No one is," he told her, wandering away from the door in a silent invite to come in.

"I know; I saw them at the bar,' she nodded, closing the door behind herself.

He rose an eyebrow at this information, questioning her motives without speaking.

"I wanted to talk to you…" she sighed, following him past the living room to the small kitchen. "About what you mentioned the other day…"

His eyebrow twitched in surprise but then he looked quite pleased. He knew he had her. And she knew he knew.

"I'm interested"

"I figured"

"…I'm scared"

"Don't be," he told her quickly, waving a hand as if to swat away her worry. "Here."

He handed her a beer and sat down at the round table with his own.

"I've got it all planned out; it'll be fine"

"A plan doesn't mean it'll be fine"

"it will be," he told her firmly.

"Why? Because you say so?"

"Hell yes because I say so," he nodded shortly. "These guys know better than to piss me off, Hol, and I'll make it clear that giving you shit is giving me shit."

Holly sat across from him at the little table with a hand on her beer as she gazed out the window.

"No one has to know," he added, trying to pin down her worry and dismiss it.

She just rolled her eyes.

"The hell was that?"

"I think we both know it's hard to keep a secret in the gang. If nothing else, Baggy will figure it out - he figures everything out."

"He'd be a fuckin' hypocrite to get pissed about it," Billy pointed out.

Holly didn't comment - he didn't have a sister so how he viewed Joe dealing was different than Baggy and her. Actually…he might just think it was funny.

"…so how's this going down?" she asked with a sigh.

"Drink up," he grinned.

They sat around for a while and Billy laid out his plan. Holly had to slightly tweak his impressions of how the hotel did business, but, besides that, she had to admit he was thorough.

"I keep track of a band of halfwits - what do you expect?" he rolled his eyes.

Then the door banged open and Joe strolled in, followed by Bodie, Jamie, and then Baggy

"This ain't some post-sex thing is it?" Baggy groaned.

"What if it is?" Billy challenged.

"It's not," Holly butted-in, reaching across to smack Billy's arm.

He pointed a stern finger at her but she dismissed it.

"Billy, you cool if we chill here?" Joe checked.

"Don't have much of a choice anymore anyway, huh?" Billy shrugged carelessly.

Holly eyed him while the guys settled in and wished she would've asked if he was okay earlier. Bones was one of the only people who could throw him off and she hadn't thought to okay after the argument Joe mentioned they'd had. She knew no one else would ask so she regretted not having done so when they were still alone.

As it was now too late anyway, she pushed the thoughts from her mind and got up to go join her brother and the guys, rubbing her hand over Billy's stubbled head as she did so. He seemed to ignore her and she joined Baggy on the couch, sitting on the arm of the couch to face him where he sat in the middle next to Bodie.

"Why the early night?' she asked, nudging him with her toe.

"Just felt like it," he shrugged, reaching to grab her beer, which she yanked back. "Kill joy," he muttered. "You alright? Somethin' happen at home?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she shrugged carelessly.

"Then what're you doing over here? I thought maybe you got spooked or something…"

Holly rolled her eyes, though his thought wasn't completely invalid. Once in a while when he had a night shift there would be ruckus in the building that rubbed her the wrong way or freaked her out more than usual, so she'd come over here to crash on the Darely's couch more than once. Funny how most of the city was scared of the Darely's and their gang and yet the Darleys' was where she went to feel safe when she got freaked out. Granted, some of the times were completely legit…once a drunk guy who was new to the building busted the lock on the door and let himself in when she was sleeping and she'd bailed as quick as she could; she'd stayed at Billy's even after he went back to take care of it - the guy didn't live in the building anymore.

"I just stopped by," she shrugged. "He offered me a beer and we were just chatting - just chatting," she repeated when Bodie snorted after overhearing.

Baggy elbowed Bodie in the side, which the other man more or less ignored completely.

"Up"

Holly looked up see Billy had made his way over, and a moment later he grabbed her upper arm and hauled her off the arm of couch.

"What-?" she began before he simply dropped into the cushion next to Baggy where her feet had been.

She was annoyed, though pleased to see Baggy relax as he'd been about to step up and tell Billy to lay off - it was always good to know your brother would stand up to a gang lord for you…granted, they were "brothers" and all.

"Don't roll your eyes about it," Billy chastised, reaching up to grab her arm and tug her to sit on his lap rather than stand between him and the TV.

"Neanderthal," Holly muttered, shifting to get comfortable.

"What was that?" Billy checked while Jamie, in the arm chair next to the couch, laughed.

"Nothing," she promised, patting his knee and winking at Jamie.

"Better be nothin'…stop movin'," he grumbled.

"Why, she excitin' you, bro?" Jamie snickered.

"Yo, I'm right here," Baggy spat, throwing an empty beer can at his friend.

Holly rolled her eyes at the lot of them and relaxed back into Billy to watch whatever channels Joe was flipping through.

Billy's hand, which was on her leg, played with the seam of the side of her jeans, mindlessly picking at it. She watched for a moment and then glanced at him, but he was just watching TV and doing it unconsciously. Unconcerned, she turned back to the TV, unsurprised they were watching boxing and wondering what the chances were that they'd change it.

"You gonna finish that today or am I gonna have to?" Billy asked a while later, gesturing to her beer with his empty one.

She rolled her eyes and drained the rest of her bottle.

"That's my girl," Baggy approved.

She laughed a little and grabbed Billy's bottle from him to get up and deposit the empties in the trash and grab him a new one.

"You couldda got yourself one," he informed her, accepting the beer she handed him and twisting the cap of easily.

"I'm good," Holly shrugged, retaking her seat.

"Couldda brought me one," Joe threw at her.

"I brought Billy one because he's more annoying than you when he bitches -ow!" she complained when she received a sharp pinch to the side for her jab at Billy's personality. "That was kind of like a thank you but different."

"You deserved it," Billy told her simply.

She decided to forget about it before this discussion became a thing and instead started thinking of an escape plan. She wasn't into boxing and had taken care of what she'd come over here for, so she didn't need to hang around. She could go home and do homework…or at least just watch a show of her own choosing.

Still, she suckered herself into staying for a while just to enjoy a casual night with them.

"Where you goin'?"

"Bathroom, _mother_," Holly teased her brother once she got up.

Billy and Joe's bathroom wasn't what she'd typically call _clean_ but nor was it as bad as one might expect, so she didn't have qualms about using it.

When she exited, she could see into the living room and saw Billy wasn't on the couch anymore. Glancing down the short hall of the apartment, she saw light coming out of his partially-opened doorway and made her way in that direction instead.

She pushed the door open and tapped her knuckle on it to get his attention where he was standing by his window and working his way through a cigarette. He turned quickly but didn't snap at her to get out.

"What?" he asked after the lapse of a quiet moment.

"Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he threw back at her, though she was perfectly aware that wasn't an answer.

"…I heard what happened earlier…" she ventured, watching his face become noticeably darker.

"And what about it?" he challenged.

"Don't get upset; I just wanted to make sure you're alright"

"Peachy"

"Okay…well I'm heading out, so you know where to find me if you need something," she sighed, unwilling to push the matter.

"Great," he replied sarcastically, waving her away to indicate she could and should leave.

Stubborn ass.

She left after short goodbyes and sprawled on her own couch to watch her own choice of entertainment. She allowed herself some time with this and then went to her room to do a little reading before crashing for an early night.

She heard the door open and shut and knew Baggy was home, which was both a relief and a nice change. He was almost always out later than her, especially on week nights, and sometimes it felt good to just be normal, say good night, and go to bed not home alone.

So she thought nothing of it.

"You always make it that easy for someone to break in?"

The voice startled her and she spun her chair around to see Billy leaning in the doorway.

"…it doesn't count as breaking in - you have a key," she reminded him.

He shrugged like this was neither here nor there and let himself in, pushing the door shut behind him.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he dismissed, lowering himself to sit on the foot of her bed.

"Liar," she reprimanded quietly.

He tried to give her a harsh look but he mostly just looked tired. He looked away again and scrubbed a large hand over his rough head.

"Mind if I crash here with you tonight?"

"…why?"

"…because I'm askin'," he sighed.

"Well…yeah, sure. That's okay," she decided.

He let out a long breath and toed off his boots before laying back against the bed. He rubbed his face and then threw his arm over his eyes, as if blocking out the light.

"I just have to finish this…"

He waved his hand at her lazily, telling her he didn't mind, so she turned back to her reading to finish the chapter. She kept looking back at him but he didn't move, just stayed laying there on his back with his feet still on the floor.

When she finished she shut of her computer and lamp and quietly got around for bed, taking pajamas to the bathroom to change and wash up. Back in her room, Billy was still where he'd been so she squeezed his knee gently while she tossed her clothes to the hamper.

"Yeah," he sighed in a whisper that made her wonder if he'd already dozed off there.

He sat up slowly and looked her over in her sweats and tank top before standing to shed his shirt and tug off his socks.

"You get the light," Holly delegated, crawling into her bed first and slipped under the covers.

He didn't argue and removed his gun, wallet, and phone from his jeans before shuffling over to turn off the light and make his way back to bed.

"Actually…can you get the lock? If Baggy barges in drunk he'll just get all flustered seeing you here," she asked before he got back to her.

She heard him scoff but he did as she asked him and then returned, flipping back the covers to get in. His arms found their way around her and she draped his arm over his waist and let her fingers graze lightly back and forth over his bare skin.

"Billy…"

" Don't start, Hol," he whispered coarsely, digging his fingers into her back lightly for a moment.

"You wouldn't be here like this if something wasn't wrong," she pressed.

"Stop"

"You can-"

She was cut off by him kissing her, and though it wasn't unpleasant she quickly pulled away from him.

"What're you doing?"

"Well it shut you up, didn't it? I don't wanna talk; I just wanna be here."

"…alright…"

"Then go to sleep," he ordered, adjusting his arm around her and settling in.

"….good night."

"Mmmhmm"

Though she was a little baffled, it was pretty nice to have him there. He was warm and comfortable; she trusted him. Christ, she trusted Billy Darely - once again, she thought about how crazy it was. But it wasn't solely crazy, it was her life and there was parts of it she wouldn't trade….the guys, the bonds. As much as they could irritate her and stressed her out, she wouldn't give them up…

"Stop squirming," Billy groaned.

"Sorry," she whispered, resituating herself for a moment.

"Shhh"

The next morning Holly woke up before Billy and was somehow able to sneak out of bed without him noticing. She didn't find Baggy anywhere, even his bedroom, so she supposed he might've passed out at Billy's or else met up with a chick somewhere. She reentered her bedroom and stared at Billy sleeping for a while before disapproving of him still being asleep - it was 11:00 am and she had to go to her classes soon; her Tuesday/Thursday schedule didn't start until 1:30.

"Billy…hey, Billy," she tried to wake him quietly, lightly shaking his foot through the blanket.

"The fuck," he muttered, pulling his foot away from her.

"Wake up"

"Why? S'goin' on?"

He rolled onto his back and looked at her through drowsy eyes.

"Make me breakfast?" she proposed happily, tugging the blanket partially off of him.

"Are you fucking kiddin' me?"

"C'mon; we've slept-in and I have class later," she tried to convince him, shaking his foot again before crawling up the bed.

She was in a good mood though she wasn't sure why. Maybe just because she felt well-rested. She'd slept really well….maybe because she hadn't stayed awake to, against her will, listen for Baggy to come in like she sometimes did.

"You having class doesn't have anything to do with me," he informed her, watching her crawl up his lower body and straddle his thighs. "And I don't cook"

"Yes you do; you made good eggs for me once," she reminded him, scratching the hair leading down towards the top of his jeans.

True. Once he had come over because Joe was hooking up on the living room floor, and she'd been sick and managed to nag him into making her something to eat.

"…ya gonna make it worth my while?" he rose an eyebrow at her, grabbing her hips to pull her a little higher towards his waist.

"No," she grinned, covering his hands with hers and moving back again. "I let you stay here, though."

He nodded slowly and thought for a moment.

"Give me another hour to sleep and I'll take you to fuckin' breakfast before your damned class."

Holly deemed this acceptable and got up.

"Want me to tuck you in?" she cooed.

"Fuck off," Billy smirked.

Regardless, she grabbed the blanket to place over him properly and even bent to give him a kiss on the cheek, grinning when he snorted in amusement.

"One hour," she reminded him.

One hour later, Billy was pulling clothes back on and yanking on his boots clumsily. Holly was already ready to go and felt a little sympathetic.

"We don't _have_ to go if you don't want to," she rolled her eyes.

"Nah, I'm starving. Let's go."

They quietly left the apartment and headed across the street to his car and he swiftly drove them to a diner in the area. Save for when they ordered, they sat in the booth wordlessly and drank coffee. The waitress brought them food and they ate quietly for a few minutes.

"I can't put off initiating Joe any longer," Billy informed her out of the blue.

Holly froze with her cup halfway to her mouth and slowly set the cup back down. She heard him but couldn't fully comprehend what he meant. Of course, she knew that Joe was in line to join the gang - he always had been - but she somehow never considered it _actually_ happening. Joe was….Joe. He was one of the guys but he was apart from them; it had always been that way.

"Oh…."

"Yeah, oh," Billy stabbed at some pancakes angrily, unwilling to look up and see Holly be angry with him the way he was upset with himself.

"…and Bones agrees? Or was that something else…"

"Yeah, Bones fuckin' agrees," he spat, "….he wants as many guys selling as possible…I knew I was running low on time and excuses but now there's just more pressure…" he scrubbed a hand over his head.

…

"Well…if it's what Joe wants," Holly offered after a couple long, quiet moments.

Billy shot her a look but then slowly nodded. The look, however, suggested that Billy knew as well as she did that Joe didn't have a real choice.

"…I dunno if he's cut out for it…" Billy muttered, staring out the window next to the booth.

She knew he wouldn't admit that to any of the guys.

"Maybe he'll surprise you…."

"…I have to make him do it…"

"He's a smart kid, Billy. He's always known what he has to do to run with you guys; maybe he's more ready than you think…"

She didn't particularly get the impression that he was listening; he was still gazing out the window. She waited but then slowly reached out squeeze his hand with her own.

"Ears still working?"

"Yeah I hear you," he shrugged, turning back to his food.

They continued to eat quietly for a while.

"You think about it, right? How crazy this life is…?" he asked, continuing to eat like this wasn't a strange conversation.

"I don't…I don't think this is the place, Billy," she told him quietly.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly.

"Sorry"

"No, you're right"

They finished quietly and Billy paid and drove her home.

"Look, how about I skip my class," she offered when he pulled up to her building. "You can come up or we can go to your place."

"Nah"

"Please? I don't want to bail on you…"

"You're not. Forget about it"

"No. Billy -"

"Get your ass to class," he ordered.

"See you later then"

"I'm sure"

"Promise you're alright?"

"Don't get all touchy feely on me," he scoffed, as always.

"Wouldn't bother," she responded, as always, grinning before she got out.

* * *

**And there you have it =D **

**R&R**


	4. Deals

**Hey all! Sorry it's been so long on this one! This chapter has been almost done for a while so i finished it up so I could post it. This is jsut one of those stories I keep picking up and doing parts of here and there =| I know where I want it to go, but i just need to get hit with a BIT writing spurt for it and crank out some chapters! My other DS fanfiction started that way and then I got slammed with some quick passion for it and finished it, so we'll see...I have a problem with not being able to control where my muse will take me...I get on different kicks and it's not my fault! lol. **

**Hope you enjoy**

* * *

**Deals  
**

**"You got to get it while you can." -Janis Joplin**

Holly sat behind the reception desk, glancing at the clock on the computer over and over again. It was getting close to the end of her shift and the phone had yet to ring. It was supposed to ring soon…it _better_ ring soon. If this transaction didn't happen just like Billy said, she was going to freak out.

She was nervous and had been all night. She needed a drink - a strong one - but knew she couldn't while she was still on the clock. Which wouldn't be for much longer….they **better** call…

A few minutes after this latest freak out, the phone rang and she almost jumped out of her skin even though she was expecting it.

"Can I ask who I'm speaking to?" the man on the other end asked before she could even rattle off the typical hotel greeting into the receiver.

"This is Holly at the front desk"

"Okay, great…we need a pillow in room 412," he informed her with a special emphasis on what they needed.

"Alright, no problem. I'll bring it up in a few minutes."

"Thanks"

She hung up and checked the clock again before going to the back room to grab her purse. If anyone asked, she was on her way out since her shift was almost over.

She went to the store room and got a pillow and fitted it into a new case before heading down to the stairway. In the protection of the stairwell she slipped the brown paper bag from her purse and slid it into the pillowcase. Suddenly the plan seemed less than foolproof….she grew more nervous...

Still, she continued to the fourth floor and to room 412, knocking sharply. She waited and was about to knock again when a tall, dark haired man in a suit opened the door.

"Ah, thank you," he smiled, eyeing the pillow.

"No problem, sir"

She handed over the pillow and accepted the folded bills with a tight smile.

"Enjoy your stay; be sure to let us know if you need anything else."

"We certainly will," another suited man promised, joining them near the door. "Have a nice night, ma'am."

"You too"

She smiled again and turned to make a hasty retreat. She checked at the front desk to make sure her replacement was in, which he was.

"Hey, Holl; thought you left"

"I just ran something up to a room before I left and wanted to make sure you were here before I stepped out. Bye Seth"

"Bye"

Holly walked as fast as she could to her car without running and exhaled deeply once she was seated in it. She still felt as if she might somehow get caught so she threw her car in gear and hurried home.

She knew Billy was going to be at the bar, so she stopped at the apartment to change. After much contemplation, she left the money hidden in her room because she was sure Baggy would notice her hand it off and she hadn't talked to Baggy about this yet - she wasn't sure Billy had, either. She supposed it would only be hypocritical of Baggy to be mad so she shouldn't worry about telling him, but she'd rather tell him than have him figure it out himself.

Out of her work clothes, she went back to her car and drove to the bar. As she knew they would be, both of the gang's cars were there. She instantly felt a little better as she walked in, and she hopped right onto a barstool.

"Hey girl," Kendra greeted, making her a drink before she even had to order.

"A little stronger?" Holly requested.

"That's what I like to hear, girl," Kendra cheered.

"Let's get her a shot, too, Ken"

She heard Billy's voice and then felt his large hand on the back of her neck, squeezing it lightly.

"You got it. Sounds like you're looking at a fun night, Hol," Kendra chuckled.

Kendra left the drink and two shots on the bar before serving another customer, and Billy and Holly threw back their drinks together, Holly cringing slightly.

Billy just smirked and then leaned forward, planting his hands on the bar to either side of her so that his chest was against her back.

"Ya got somethin' for me?" he asked quietly.

"Um…I stashed it in my room. I wasn't sure if I should bring it here in front of Baggy and everyone…" she told him, turning her head just slightly towards him.

"Alright…yeah, that's okay," he nodded. "Comin' back?"

She nodded and once he backed off she grabbed her drink and followed him to the table with the guys. She sat and drank with them for a while, and then when Kendra looked like she was slowing down, Holly excused herself to sit at the bar for a while and drink up there.

"Yo, how much has she been drinking?" Baggy asked, nodding at his sister when Sammy brought a bottle of whiskey to the back table.

"Aw, she's okay," Sammy laughed. "She's just gotten a few drinks from some guys, so she's feelin' good. You know I wouldn't let her get outta hand."

"Then what's that?" Baggy frowned, watching as Kendra and Holly hopped up on the bar to dance.

"Fun," Sammy chuckled.

Baggy just shook his head, annoyed. He hadn't seen Holly do that since back when she was bartending and she was having a laugh for some extra tips. His only consolation was that he knew all the guys at the end of the bar where she and Kendra were dancing.

Billy, for one, was up there. He'd gone up to take another shot with Holly - he knew she was blowing off steam from being so tense about tonight's job - and the next thing he knew Kendra was pulling her up onto the bar. It wasn't like he minded; he was watching as happily as the other guys.

Kendra's hands were on Holly's hips, which were swaying and grinding in rhythm. Her arms moved freely and she was laughing.

Her eyes eventually fell on Billy and she smiled, stepping away from Kendra. She extended her hand to him and he took it, face blank, letting her place her other hand on his shoulder as he helped her hop down.

"Gonna dance with me?" she asked, stepping closer to continue moving her hips to the music.

Billy just grinned down at her, tempted, but he didn't dance and didn't think he was willing to make an exception right now…

"I'll dance with you, mami," Heco cheered, pulling her his way.

She laughed and danced with him a little until he bumped into someone with their drinks.

"Hey," Billy caught her attention again, catching a finger in the belt around her top to tug her towards him.

"I don't feel like dancing anymore - you're too late," she chuckled.

"Yeah, we got some business," he reminded her quietly.

"Right," she nodded, pointing a finger at him in an orderly way. "Let's go."

He nodded and reached into her pocket for her keys, tossing them to Heco with an order to give them to Baggy.

"Rude," she muttered.

He ignored it and ushered her in front of him out the door and to his car.

"So shit went smooth?" he checked as he started his car.

"Yeah"

"Told you"

"Cocky," she shot back, stretching out in her seat.

"Somebody had fun tonight," he smirked, ignoring her accusation.

"I had to unwind - I was nervous"

"Ya don't fuckin' say," Billy muttered sarcastically.

She reached over to smack his arm lightly, which he also ignored.

"Someday you'll believe I know what I'm talkin' about," he informed her, throwing the car in park at his building so they only had to cross the street.

Holly took his arm to be cautious, rather than embarrass herself and fall when she stepped off the curb. She wasn't completely trashed but one can never be too careful. For his part, Billy didn't mind but didn't acknowledge it either.

Holly parted from him to go to her room and retrieve the cash, which she brought back to him. He thumbed it and nodded, removing a fraction to hand to her. She took it without counting it and slipped it into a pocket of her purse.

"You're gonna just carry that shit around?" Billy asked incredulously.

"No," she rolled her eyes. "I'll stash it later."

"Smart," he nodded slowly.

"It's been known to happen," Holly shrugged, eyeing him over.

He watched her right back.

"…and just what're we supposed to do with the rest of our night?" she asked, biting her lip with a small smile.

She stepped closer, slowly circling her arms around his waist to tug his hips to her. His lips parted for a smart, enticing retort, but he hesitated.

"What're you doin', Hol?"

He asked for her, not for his own curiosity. He wouldn't usually do that except that she was doing him a huge favor and he needed her to keep doing it, not get mad that he took advantage and then decide to renege on their deal.

It was apparently not what she wanted to hear, however, because she lost the playful look and stepped away looking awkward instead.

"Alright then," she muttered, stepping around him to go to the kitchen.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't want it….'

She ignored him and started to look for something to eat.

"Holl…"

"It's fine, Billy. The moment's over…"

"Shit," he rolled his eyes.

"Hungry?"

"…always," he relented, giving up on one appetite and focusing on another.

She dug up something for them to eat, which they did quietly at the high kitchen table.

"You can stay here if you want," she offered as she cleaned up their small mess.

He nodded and went to her room while she finished. He wasn't sure if that invitation was casual or the kind that implied something, but he was down either way. He stripped down to his jeans and listened as Holly got around before finally shuffling in to join.

"Ya know, I already told Baggy about the arrangement so you don't have to sneak this thing around," he told her as she carelessly shimmied out of her jeans and pulled on some shorts.

"Oh, thanks…what'd he say?"

"Said it was cool as long as I had a safe plan"

She nodded and maneuvered her bra off as she faced away from him.

"I've seen it before," he teased.

"…says the guy who's leaving his jeans on," she countered.

"Touché"

But, never to be outdone or proven wrong, he shucked his jeans and dropped onto her bed in only boxer briefs. Holly rolled her eyes at this typical Darley move and turned off the lights before joining him. She fumbled around her night stand but eventually found the remote and clicked on the small TV she had in her room - it wasn't that late and she didn't think Billy was actually all that tired; he was just staying because he was rolling with whatever happened to come up. She dropped the controller on his stomach and curled into his side.

She mulled over the evening and how nervous she'd been at the hotel. Despite how quickly and smoothly her little transaction had gone, she knew it wouldn't be easy to do again. She wondered if, in time, it would get easier against her will….she didn't exactly want drug dealing to become a simple habit.

"It's going to be the same people next time, right? Just the two guys?" she asked suddenly, getting nervous all over again despite the alcohol once her mind started to wander.

Billy's response came after a pause as he caught up with her thought process.

"At the hotel? Yeah"

"…okay."

"Unless you wanna start a whole drug ring outta there in your spare time"

"No," Holly answered quickly.

He let out a short laugh at her expense and she glanced up and saw his grin in the light from the TV. Right, of course he'd been joking.

"Thanks. Laugh because I'm wound up," she scoffed.

"Didn't we just talk about how smoothly it went and how my plan was just fine? Calm the fuck down. Damn," he urged.

"I can't help it," she muttered.

"Course you can't," he sighed, twisting to face her. "I wasn't turning you down earlier, Hol…"

"It just…kind of came over me," she murmured.

"Nothin' wrong with that," he promised. "C'mere…"

His hand quickly found her face and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. She leaned into him and lightly scratched his chest, making his breath hitch for a moment. He fisted his hands in the fabric of her pants and tugged her lower body closer against him.

"Whatsa matter?" he breathed when she pulled back.

It was only a brief pause, however, and she just shook her head before she slipped her hand up to grab his chin and lean up to him once again.

With his hold on her, he rolled and pulled her on top of him so that she was draped atop his body. He rubbed her back, slowly inching her shirt up as he continued.

Holly did hear the front door open but didn't care; Baggy would just trudge to his room and crash out.

She was far more concerned with Billy's hands making their way up her body. Breathing heavily, she brushed his hands from her shoulders and pushed herself up so she was straddling his hips. She let her eyes rake his upper body hungrily and she rested her hands on his chest, slowly trailing her way over his hard abdomen. He grinned and grabbed her hips, pulling her down to grind her against him.

She moaned softly and let her eyes fall shut for a moment.

It was precisely that moment that Baggy decided to barge in with Heco at his back.

"Hol-" Baggy started, faltering when he took in the scene.

"Oho shit!" Heco cheered.

"The fuck, bro! She's doin' you a favor; you ain't gotta pay her with sex! Ugh," Baggy shouted.

"Billy's here?"

That was Joe's voice and he was heading down the hall, too.

"Christ," Holly muttered, pushing Billy's hands off her waist to get off of him and off the bed. "I have clothes on, Baggy; chill out."

"Yeah, but for how long," Heco laughed.

"Shut the hell up…Joe, what're you doing? This isn't the zoo; stop gawking," she ordered when he and tried to peer over Heco's shoulder.

"Yeah they don't like getting freaky in public, bro," Heco continued to laugh, pushing Joe back and lumbering down the hall with him.

"Baggy, don't look at me and don't just stand there. It's not anything," she rolled her eyes, shoving him towards the door.

He turned, muttering, and stomped to the living room as well. She pushed the door behind him and just shook her head, turning to Billy. He was still laying where she'd left him, arms now crossed behind his head in a casual sort of way. He rose an eyebrow at her and nodded for her to come back over.

"Not with my brother and the whole party outside the door," she shook her head.

"We've gone at it with your brother home before," he argued.

"But he didn't know… it ruins the moment for me a bit when my brother walks in on me…"

"He won't walk in again," Billy grunted, rolling out of bed to approach her.

"Let's just go join the guys now that the party's here," she shrugged, uncomfortable now that her brother had caught her in that position.

"Nah, let's stay here…c'mon," he whispered, circling her waist again and ducking in to kiss her.

With his half-naked body against her again the way she wanted, it was hard to care that Baggy was out there. It wasn't like he'd never hooked up with girls while she was home without considering the fact that she might want to be sleeping.

"Yo - get out here!" Baggy shouted, pounding a fist on her door.

Holly jumped a little and cursed under her breath.

"Mother fucker," Billy glared at the door.

"He's just doing his brother thing…"

She was annoyed and her excitement was significantly diminished.

"Fuck that…"

"Let's just go hang out"

He glowered but moved to put his shirt back on and she, in turn, found a hoodie to pull on. The others just kind of laughed when they joined everyone in the living room, but neither really minded. Holly figured she should be embarrassed, but she was an adult and these guys really had no room to judge.

Nothing that exciting happened; it didn't turn into a big party. The guys were just hanging out, but Holly bailed about the time they started discussing work.

"Yo…I know what you did tonight"

Holly looked up when Baggy popped his head in her room.

"Geeze; we didn't have sex. Go away."

"I ain't talkin' about that. I'm talking about slinging the dope," he told her flatly.

"Oh…yeah, Billy mentioned he told you"

"Right…you couldda told me, Hol," he sighed, moving in to shut the door part way behind him.

"I know…part of me thought you'd be mad…"

"Hey, it's the family business as far as I'm concerned…"

Holly didn't like the sounds of that.

"I'm just making some extra cash…and helping a little…" she shifted uncomfortably.

"Ain't gotta explain to me, girl…I wish you wouldda told me, that's all. As long as you're safe, I don't have a problem."

"It should be fine"

"Yeah, you call Billy or me if it's ever not. You hear that?"

"I hear you," Holly nodded.

"Alright…get to bed then"

She ignored his bossy tone and turned off the light once he left so she could crawl into bed.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but it must have been quite a while because she was asleep when she felt the bed move beside her and Billy settled in. She shifted slightly but he told her to go back to bed and her drowsy mind didn't argue. Still, she processed it on some level because she wasn't surprised to find him with her the next morning.

Luckily, Baggy wasn't around when she made her way out into the apartment because he'd probably give her shit if he knew Billy was there. She didn't know what his problem was; he trusted Billy, so he should mind him less than a someone foreign to him.

"Ya ain't makin' breakfast?" Billy asked when he trudged into the living room some time later.

"It's called cereal," she shrugged, gesturing to her bowl on the coffee table.

"Real high class there, Holl"

"Not even an insult from you, to be honest"

"Don't be a bitch this early in the morning"

"You know that's how you like me best," she teased.

"Not really," he answered honestly.

That was a little awkward, so she left him to his cereal and went to take a shower. She thought she imagined the door clicking softly, but a few moments later the shower curtain slid back and Billy was stepping in. She cocked her head at him but just grinned a little at the look on his face - she should've known he wouldn't let the previous night go.

"Well look at you," he murmured, pulling her to him to wrap her in his arms and kiss her deeply.

His fingers dug into her back and he molded her against him. He held her almost too tightly but there was something delicious about the pressure. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and scraped her nails over his scalp - she always wished he had hair to grab but it had been many years since she'd seen hair on his head.

"Here," he grunted after some time, pushing on her hips to twist her around.

He pushed lightly on her upper back and she took the hint, bending over with her hands on the wall and rim of the shower. He took her waist in his hands and, slowly at first, he buried himself in her. She grabbed his hand for a moment as she adjusted to him, but her hands were back to bracing herself as he really began.

"Billy," she breathed, grinding back against him.

He didn't respond except to hold her hips tighter. She winced some time later and he must've heard her gasp because he quickly slipped a hand between her legs, stroking her perfectly. Still, it hurt and his hand didn't quiet make up for it.

"Billy…Billy, wait," she gasped, leaning forward to lean away.

"What?" he grunted, breathing heavily.

"That hurts…you were going too hard or the position…or something," she explained breathily, moving away to straighten up and turn back around.

"Fuck…so…what? You wanna just suck me off or somethin'?" he panted.

"No, we can go back to my room," she suggested, sliding her hands down his wet torso.

"…nah, let's stay here," he grinned.

He grabbed her and lifted her up around his waist, sliding more carefully back into her. With a groan, she leaned her head back against the shower wall and clung to him.

This position proved much more agreeable to her body and Holly scratched lightly at his shoulders. Neither was particularly quiet since they knew Baggy was out. He came after she did and he teased her into a second orgasm with his fingers while he caught his breath.

"Baggy walkin' in worked out fine this time, but he better not start making a habit of it," Billy muttered after they quickly rinsed and got out of the cooling shower.

Holly made an acknowledging but non-committal noise. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like he was insinuating there were going to be many more chances for Baggy to interrupt them soon. It was true they'd be purposefully interacting more, with her doing work for him and all, so they'd have more chances to get caught-up in each other, but she didn't know how she felt about him assuming they would. Not that it wasn't good - it always was - but you could never be sure of things with Billy…

"What; you pissed cuz I hurt you earlier?"

"No…you didn't do it on purpose," she negated, meeting his eye in the mirror while she towel-dried her hair and then wrapped herself in the towel.

"Good…sometimes I can't help myself with you - maybe it's this ass," he grinned, reaching out to give it a smack.

Holly turned around quickly, giving him a stern look. This merely prompted a smirk to grow across his face and he grabbed her to pull her against him. He kissed her hard, delving into her mouth, and reached around to squeeze her ass hard.

"Ow - asshole," she muttered, pulling back slightly.

"Told you I can't help it," he shrugged before pulling her to him again.

They continued to make out and after some time Billy removed her hand from his lower back and slipped it through the flap of the towel around his waist so she could feel him getting hard again.

She grinned against his lips and wrapped her fingers around him obligingly. With her other hand she pulled his towel loose and let it fall to the floor. In response he lifted her onto the sink counter, guiding her legs around him. Her own towel parted upon this movement. He pulled away the loose knot and immediately covered her breasts with his hands, fondling them firmly

He reached down to remove her hand from him and he guided himself into her smoothly. He thrust into her there until they were close, but then he made them both wait so he could scoop her up and carry her to her room and drop them onto her bed. He sank to the bed on his back to watch her wide him to their finish - he helped her along with a hand between her legs.

Once she sank to the bed next to him, he sighed and twisted to look at her a moment and bit her shoulder lightly. He had shit to do today, but there was also the fact that he was tempted to stay there all day with her tight little body...well, he couldn't do that, but he'd linger a while.

"It's only morning but I just want to go back to bed," Holly sighed and stretched languidly.

Billy watched this appreciatively for a moment.

"Well, I gotta get goin'," he countered.

"Yeah, I should probably haul my ass up and do something useful..."

"Oh, you've been useful," Billy smirked as he sat up.

Holly reached up and pinched the back of his arm before rolling out of bed. She grabbed clothes from her room and got to watch Billy saunter out of the room stark naked in search of his clothes from the bathroom. It was a nice site, to be sure.

As always, Holly was slightly conflicted once Billy was on his way out. He gave her a short farewell in the way of a swift, deep kiss, biting her lip before he pulled away.

That about as much as one could expect from him, really, so it wasn't surprising or disappointing. She was left wondering what it all meant. Billy was always so moody...his behavior could really go any way. They spend the night together and had sex today, but tomorrow he might ignore her...or he might come back for the night. You could never tell what he was going to do and, perhaps more annoying, she didn't even know what she wanted him to do...

She wasn't about to sit around and wait for him, but she didn't usually turn him away, either...she didn't know what that meant or what it made her...


End file.
